“It is unfortunate that the fear of possible contamination, based on unsubstantiated data, has resulted in cancellation of several leagues and major tournaments at BMAC,” Mayor Conrad Bowers said. “It is our hope that the testing being conducted by the EPA will affirm, as indicated in the past, that there is no health risk at the Bridgeton Municipal Complex and these fears.”

Fears of radioactive dirt were raised when a citizens group, armed with a $16,000 radiation scanner, announced some contaminated dirt was found near a drainage ditch at the ball field. The complex is about a mile from the West Lake Landfill, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was dumped.

Bowers plans to hold a news conference with EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks to answer questions about the testing on May 9.